I plan to post about my efforts toward voluntary simplicity, frugality, and debt free living. Much of this is grounded in environmentalism, politics, and social justice.

Monday, June 23, 2014

The New Addition to the Homestead!!!!!

It's pretty awesome!

3 people showed up yesterday to help at the homestead. I was expecting 1. 3 is more than one.

Thank you to Maia, Erika and Cass and the puppies!

This made me feel completely secure. If I lost my job today (knock on wood that doesn't happen...I would still like a well...but I'm just saying) I have a really lovely place to live. It doesn't rain much here in the summer so this should be peachy for months! Thank you thank you thank you!

I'd asked if someday Cass could come help me with turning pallets into an outhouse to shelter the composting toilet (see composting toilet post). Cass had replied via other folks that he'd think about it. I thought that was fair enough because it's alot to ask.

Apparently Sunday morning he thought "yep." They showed up with supplies, food, water and tools and 2 vehicles. I had already been at the land before I got the message and thought I was doing something entirely different so I had no water, snacks, supplies or tools...not even the toilet!
No problem. They dug right in. Cass suggested that rather than construct a pallet building to shield my naughty bits from the highway drivers who may gawk (is that a tennis ball in a flesh tone tube sock? (swerve)), he looked at the giant spruce tree next to the trailer and asked if I'd be OK with putting it back in there. I said "Sure."

So, he got loppers, a sawsall and organized the help. Erika was on weedwhacking and the weeds (hay really and other plants) are fully whacked. I have a little wee yard around the camper, a path around the tree to the otherside where the bathroom is, an area for firewood and a place to stack supplies (like the mismeasured wood I had cut the other day...different story...totally my fault). Meanwhile Maia and I are assigned to move the branches and whatnot that Cass is taking out from under the lower bits of the tree. So we do.

Not long after there is a really nice clear spot. It's quite a bit larger than I envisioned. As I said, I had not brought the toilet (and was having a special ladytime issue that required access to a sink and a flush toilet) so Maia and I ran up to Plummer to retrieve one turlet and use another one. We get back to find that Erika and Cass had cleared out the side of the tree next to the trailer, leaving branches hanging nearly to the ground. The tree is in a sort of bank about 3 feet high. The toilet is on the west/high side and the trailer is on the low, east side. A giant root makes a natural bench in what is now the living room. Cass was willing to open up the space even more but I do like to have the drapes drawn so I asked to have the cutting stop and declared done for the day. You can cut branches off later, but you can't really put them back on.

Amazing!

Here are a few photos. I'm sure you'll all be jealous of my bathroom, with storage area (which is important when you need buckets of dry matter like sawdust or peat to keep the thing going).

The sun was a bit harsh, but that's the toilet under the tree and the grass is actually quite green. A few pallets behind it for a feeling of privacy beyond the natural tree branch view blockage.

The living room! Hard to tell, but that sideways root is really comfy. The chairs are because company is coming next weekend so I wanted to have the place all tidy. I'd just picked up the reed rug at a thrift store for 8$. The chairs (there are 3 in view and another out of view) were a total of about 10$. I already owned one chair. Pardon the badly framed photo which includes the sheet covering what I hope will be an outdoor kitchen base...but my construction skills leave EVERYTHING to be desired so I covered up my shame.

I think that bookclub when they come on Saturday will be pretty impressed. It's shady and cool under there with a nice breeze. Sure the breeze is off the toilet but I'll use that judiciously before they get there. Maybe throw in a tictac for good measure (kidding...it does not stink, it's just getting set up). You can see a bit of the toilet privacy pallets on the side by the red chair.

And the piece de resistance.....(drum roll please)...the view from the throne:

I expect to have important insights during my morning constitutional.

Cass Erika and Maia are AWESOME! I wish I had useful skills to exchange with them.

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About Me

I'm aging into my youth.
Here are a few things that may give you some insight into who I am (maybe they will even give ME some insight into that).
Favorite Movies:
This Is Spinal Tap /
My Name is Joe /
Grey Gardens /
My Life as a Dog /
Too Beautiful For You /
All My Babies
...and many many many more
Favorite Books:
The entire David Sedaris oeuvre.
Sigrid Undset's trilogy about Kristin Lavransdattar
Cookbooks! (I even write these for friends and family)
Some other interests:
Yoga /
Beadwork /
Cooking